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June 14, 2017

Trials of fire & forget Nag missile begin

Third Generation Fire and Forget Anti Tank Prospina missile (known as Nag)(Gen-3) trials with improved Imaging Infra Red Seekers (which guide the missile to its target after launch) started in Jaisalmer’s Pokhran Field firing range on Monday and trials will undergo for more 3-4 days. “Fire and-forget” Missile has been developed by DRDO. On that occasion with DRDO, other army senior officers have also made their presence.
There are some corrections done in some parameters in Nag Missile’s system. Last year the infra-red seekers had a problem in differentiating the target from the surroundings in hot desert conditions during the day time. Earlier they were target setting of 4 Km’s in which there are more corrections needed to be done. Now missile is being tested for a reduced target of 3-3.2 kms in hot temperature. Reliable source said that these are some technical changes & corrections in Nag Missile as per requirements of Army.
The last trails of Nag Missile conducted last year in Mahajan field firing range in Bikaner. In last trials, Imaging Infra Red Seekers were not able to differentiate between the target and surroundings in hot desert temperatures.
Now in missile, highly sensitive detectors have been put on in missile for sensing heat or infra red signals. During the test last year in Mahajan Ranges, the Thermal Target System (TTS) developed by Defence laboratory at Jodhpur was used as target for the missile, which is in the final user configuration. TTS simulated a target similar to an operational tank as thermal mapping from tank to TTS was carried out for generating thermal signature.DRDO officials declined to comment whether TTS is being used in Pokhran ranges at the moment. Nag Missiles can be mounted and transported in a Mechanised Infantry Combat Vehicle also.
With a range of 3-7 kms in its other versions and 3 kms in its terrestrial or land version, once fired, Nag missile seeker (Imaging Infra-Red, IIR) guides the missile to the target even if it is a moving target. Source said trials of updated Prospina (Nag) Missile started today and launch pad has been made and trials will undergo for 3-4 days and army officers and DRDO officers are present on the occasion.Source said that “Missile is Developed by the Defence R&D Laboratory (DRDL) in Hyderabad. It has budgeted more than 350 crores in the completion of project ” Source said “The Nag is a third-generation (Gen-3), “fire-and-forget” missile; once it is fired, its seeker automatically guides the missile to even a fast-movi ng tank. In earlier-generation missiles an operator had to guide it all the way, often exposing himself to enemy fire. The world has just a handful of “fire-and-forget” missiles, such as the American Javelin, and the Israeli Spike. The Javelin and the Spike are lighter missiles that can be carried by a soldier; the Nag is a heavier and more powerful designed to operate from vehicles and helicopters. As per sources, thatNag missile can hit his target in any climate at any time, whether day or night.
The Optical Guidance system of Nag makes it virtually Jam proofed compared to infrared seekers of the Javelin and the Spike. The indigenous development of an imaging seeker, a highly complex and closely guarded technology, is Nag’s biggest advantage. Source said this is how the missile operates, it searches Missile operators search for enemy tanks through thermal imaging telescopes, visibility is same for day & night. Locating a tank, the operator freezes the missile on to target, a digital snapshot of the target is automatically taken, which serves as a reference image.
As the Nagstreaks towards the target, at 230 metres per second, the seeker takes repeated snapshots of the target; each one is compared with the reference image, and deviations are translated through on-board algorithms into corrections to the Nag’s control fins, which stee the missile precisely.

TOI

Third Generation Fire
and Forget Anti Tank Prospina missile (known as Nag)(Gen-3) trials with
improved Imaging Infra Red Seekers (which guide the missile to its
target after launch) started in Jaisalmer’s Pokhran Field firing range
on Monday and trials will undergo for more 3-4 days. “Fire and-forget”
Missile has been developed by DRDO. On that occasion with DRDO, other
army senior officers have also made their presence.
There are some corrections done in some parameters in Nag Missile’s
system. Last year the infra-red seekers had a problem in differentiating
the target from the surroundings in hot desert conditions during the
day time. Earlier they were target setting of 4 Km’s in which there are
more corrections needed to be done. Now missile is being tested for a
reduced target of 3-3.2 kms in hot temperature.
Reliable source said that these are some technical changes &
corrections in Nag Missile as per requirements of Army.
The last trails of Nag Missile conducted last year in Mahajan field
firing range in Bikaner. In last trials, Imaging Infra Red Seekers were
not able to differentiate between the target and surroundings in hot
desert temperatures. Now in missile, highly sensitive detectors have
been put on in missile for sensing heat or infra red signals.
During the test last year in Mahajan Ranges, the Thermal Target System
(TTS) developed by Defence laboratory at Jodhpur was used as target for
the missile, which is in the final user configuration. TTS simulated a
target similar to an operational tank as thermal mapping from tank to
TTS was carried out for generating thermal signature.DRDO officials
declined to comment whether TTS is being used in Pokhran ranges at the
moment.
Nag Missiles can be mounted and transported in a Mechanised Infantry
Combat Vehicle also. With a range of 3-7 kms in its other versions and 3
kms in its terrestrial or land version, once fired, Nag missile seeker
(Imaging Infra-Red, IIR) guides the missile to the target even if it is a
moving target.
Source said trials of updated Prospina (Nag) Missile started today and
launch pad has been made and trials will undergo for 3-4 days and army
officers and DRDO officers are present on the occasion.Source said that
“Missile is Developed by the Defence R&D Laboratory (DRDL) in
Hyderabad. It has budgeted more than 350 crores in the completion of
project ”
Source said “The Nag is a third-generation (Gen-3), “fire-and-forget”
missile; once it is fired, its seeker automatically guides the missile
to even a fast-movi ng tank. In earlier-generation missiles an operator
had to guide it all the way, often exposing himself to enemy fire. The
world has just a handful of “fire-and-forget” missiles, such as the
American Javelin, and the Israeli Spike. The Javelin and the Spike are
lighter missiles that can be carried by a soldier; the Nag is a heavier
and more powerful designed to operate from vehicles and helicopters. As
per sources, thatNag missile can hit his target in any climate at any
time, whether day or night.
The Optical Guidance system of Nag makes it virtually Jam proofed
compared to infrared seekers of the Javelin and the Spike. The
indigenous development of an imaging seeker, a highly complex and
closely guarded technology, is Nag’s biggest advantage.
Source said this is how the missile operates, it searches Missile
operators search for enemy tanks through thermal imaging telescopes,
visibility is same for day & night. Locating a tank, the operator
freezes the missile on to target, a digital snapshot of the target is
automatically taken, which serves as a reference image. As the
Nagstreaks towards the target, at 230 metres per second, the seeker
takes repeated snapshots of the target; each one is compared with the
reference image, and deviations are translated through on-board
algorithms into corrections to the Nag’s control fins, which stee the
missile precisely.